Sense of Community focuses on Buick Open benefits

Steve Jessmore's weekly portrait, Sense of Community, focuses on Tricia Reinhard, chief development and finance officer for Whaley Children's Center. Learn more about the charity's connection to the Buick Open by visiting Sense of Community. Whaley is one of the charities that mobilizes volunteer forces to help make the event run smoothly -- and in return receive a share of Buick Open profits

Sense of Community is Steve Jessmore's weekly photo column that highlights these people and things moving forward in the Flint community. Many are giving of their time, other of their resources and some just unique.

Each column includes a 'point of action' which gives the reader specific contact information, encouraging them to join in and help too.

Jessmore, chief photographer at The Flint Journal, started working on the photo column in April 2004.

Highly maligned by its native son Michael Moore in his movies, and forsaken by General Motors which pulled fifty-thousand jobs and removed the Buick Division from its birthplace. Flint frequently tops many lists of being worst among the most stressful, dangerous, segregated, impoverished, and economically disadvantaged cities to live in this country.

While statistics and public opinion often seem stacked against Flint, many of its citizens haven't given up hope. Life goes on, sometimes a struggle, many giving back in their own way to make their community a little bit better place to live.

The column features Flint-area residents who unselfishly give back to make the community a better place. It also gives the reader a "Point of Action," an easy way for them to give of their time to do something similar.

Among the awards the column has received are Special Recognition from the National Press Photographers Association in its Best of Photojournalism contest for Cliff Edom's New America award in 2005 and 2006, Special Recognition in the Pictures of the Year international 63 Community Awareness Award, 2006; the Michigan Understanding Award from the Michigan Press Photographers Association's in its 2005 Pictures of the Year contest and the sweepstakes award from the 2005 Associated Press contest.